Interlocked blocks



Aug. 19, 1958 L. M K. MOORE INTERLOCKED BLOCKS Filed April 25, 1955 INVENTOR. u/vz/a M MOO/V6 United States Patent INTERLOCKED BLOCKS Linza McKinley Moore, Farmville, Va. Application April 25, 1955, Serial No. 503,380

2 Claims. (Cl. 72- 38) This invention relates to building elements and more particularly to elements which constitute an interlocking corner structure for the transverse and longitudinal walls of buildings and especially small structures such as cabins, pens, cribs and the like.

The elements are provided adjacent their ends with notched and beveled interfitting portions of such nature as to produce a structure of the well known log cabin type, but wherein the interengaging portions are of very novel form and comprise members adapted to securely tie the elements together so that they resist separation from strains from any direction and also tend to cause the building elements of the transverse walls to automatically seek positions at right angles to the longitudinal walls. Thus small buildings of the character indicated may be erected very rapidly with unskilled labor and with the assurance that the walls will be square and true with respect to each other.

The manner in which the foregoing advantageous objects are accomplished will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one of the building elements with an interlocking element, disposed at right angles thereto, shown in dotted lines;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of one of said elements;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view; and

Fig. 5 is a view looking toward a fragment of the end wall of a building, showing four of the members interlocked, two of the transverse members being shown in side elevation, one of the longitudinal members being shown in end elevation and the remaining longitudinal member being shown in section.

Like numerals designate corresponding parts in all of the figures of the drawings.

The invention is not limited to the use of any particular materials. The principles involved may be incorporated in elongated wooden elements analagous to the logs of a log cabin or in concrete or other materials. However in the preferred form illustrated the principles have been embodied in elements of the nature of concrete blocks. Where the invention is employed in walls comprising a plurality of courses, each made up of my corner structure and a plurality of conventional concrete blocks the corner elements may be varied in length to bring about the conventional staggering of the blocks of the several courses with respect to each other. For convenience in description the blocks will be referred to where necessary as longitudinal blocks A and transverse blocks B and as having body portions 5 and end portions 6.

The body portions of the A blocks are almost square in cross section. That is they are preferably made to conform in their cross sectional dimensions with conventional concrete blocks, to wit, about 8 inches high and 7% inches wide so that they may be laid up in courses along with said conventional blocks. It is in the novel formation of the end portions B of the blocks that the invention particularly resides.

Each end portion is transversely notched to provide a passage or channel 7 extending entirely through the block from side to side, each channel presenting three internal surfaces, to wit, an inner vertical surface 8, a top surface 9 and an outer inclined surface 10. From the level of the top surface to the top of the end portion 6 the forward corner of said end portion is removed to leave a sloping or inclined face 11, which extends from a point halfway of the height of the end portion to a point halfway of the width of the top of said end portion. The formation of said sloping portion leaves a triangular vertical abutment 12 at the juncture of the body portion 5 and end portion 6. The faces 11 lie at angles of approximately 45 degrees and the surfaces: 10 lie at the same angles so that these two surfaces of an A block and a B block may coact in use as hereinafter set forth.

The manner of internesting of the ends and the automatic alignment of the structure resulting from such internesting, may readily be understood by reference to Figs. ,1 and5. The fact that the open lower mouth of passage 7 is of so much greater width than the horizontal top portion of the end portion of the blocks makes it easy to lower an upper A block into position as shown, upon the end portion 6 of a B block the surface 10 of the A block moving into close fitting engagement with inclined surface 11 of a B block. In doing this it thrusts the vertical rear face of the B block forcibly against the vertical surface 8 of the passage 7 of the A block and this contact of these two large area surfaces across a considerable distance causes the A and B blocks to square themselves with respect to each other. In other words it causes the B block to assume and maintain a position at right angles to the A block. Inward movement of the blocks along the length of each other is determined and limited by the abutments 12.

The blocks are a little less in width than the length of the angular surfaces 11 and consequently the end of one block projects a little outwardly of the outer side face of its intermatching block. This produces a log cabin effect which many admire. However these extensions may be omitted if desired and the sides of the B blocks may lie flush with the ends of the A blocks.

I am aware of the fact that many structures have been proposed embodying internesting tongues and grooves to provide corners of the general type herein described. However I know of nothing in the prior art which has the advantages of this invention, both with respect to its simplicity and low cost of manufacture and which is even more important, with respect to the formation of surfaces such as 8 and 14 of considerable area and the surfaces 10 and 11 also coacting with each other and functioning as described to force a surface 14 forcibly toward the surface 8. The surfaces 10 and 11 have been shown and described as lying at angles of 45 degrees and when both surfaces lie at this angle the blocks as a whole will lie in the same horizontal plane when brought together. However I wish it to be understood that the invention includes within its purview the disposition of these surfaces on angles other than 45 degrees when working up into gable ends of buildings where it may be desired to tip a transverse block out of the plane of a longitudinal block. The inclination of these surfaces will still cause them to function to move surface 14 toward surface 8 even though the surfaces 10 and 11 might not be disposed at exactly 45 degrees.

The blocks may be used at the returns of doorways and in other places than building corners and it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction set forth but that it includes within its purview whatever changes fairly fall within either the terms or the spirit of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An interlocking block assembly consisting of a plurality of superposed longitudinally disposed units and a plurality "of superposed transversely extending units whichlie at right a ngles to the longitudinal units, each of said units being of substantially.identical formation and comprising a body -portion that is substantially square in cross-section 'and 'a projectingend portion, said end portion presenting a fiat"vertical rear sideface which lies parallel with the longitudinalaxis of theunit, each of said end portions being'transve'rsely channeled across the Width of its underside for'substantially one-half of the height of the unit and providing-a passage having three surfaces, to wit, a fiat surface at the inner side of the passage which lies perpendicular to 'the longitudinal axis of the unit and extends entirely across the width of the unit, a horizontal intermediate flat surface extending from the perpendicular flat surface and being disposed at a level approximately half way of the height of the unit, and'an inclined outer surface which slopes longitudinally downwardly and outwardly from the outer limit of the intermediate surface to the b'otto'tnbf the respective unit, the upper front side'portion of each of said projecting end portions being shaped to provide an inclined surface which slopes from a longitudinal edge at a point approximately half way transversely across the top of the unit to a longitudinal edge at a point approximately half way of the height of the front side face of the unit, the inclined surface of the upper front side portion extending longitudinally of the projecting end "portion from the body portion to the outer end thereof, the said inclined surface so formed at the upper front side portion of a transverse unit coactively engaging with the inclined outer surface of the transverse passage of the superposed longitudinal unit next thereabove, said inclined surfaces corresponding in their degrees of angularity whereby in their coaction to thrust the vertical rear side' face of the projecting end of the transverse unit into forcible engagement with the perpendicular surface which forms the inner side of the transverse passage of the unit next above, to thereby cause the adjacent transverse and longuitdinal units to seek positions at right angles to each other.

2. A block assembly as recited'in claim 1 wherein the units are provided with stop abutments at the inner ends of the said inclined surfaces which lie at the upper front side portions of the units, which abutments vertically align with the perpendicular inner side surfaces of the transverse passages of the units, whereby the rear side faces of the body portions of all of the units are caused to vertically align with each other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 800,623 Buckley Oct. 3, 1905 2,309,149 Wood et al Jan. 26, 1943 2,525,659 Edson et a1. Oct. 10, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 965,322 France of 1950 

